Reduced intraoperative bleeding during transurethral resection of the prostate: Evaluation of finasteride, vascular endothelial growth factor, and CD34

Finasteride is an antiandrogen that inhibits 5-α- reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Finasteride significantly reduces intraoperative bleeding when 10 mg/d is administered for 60 days before transurethral resection of the prostate. Our double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated 200 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate. We compared a placebo group (n = 100) with a group (n = 100) administered 5 mg of finasteride twice a day for 8 weeks. We intended to demonstrate the mechanisms and effects of finasteride compared with those of vascular endothelial growth factor, and to evaluate CD34, an immunohistochemical marker of blood vessel density in the prostate. Our results indicated a lower average microvascular density and vascular endothelial growth factor index for hypertrophic prostate in the finasteride group than in the placebo group.